Jagged Alliance 2
Jagged Alliance 2 is a tactical role-playing game developed by Sir-Tech. It was released in 1999 and was also ported to Linux by Tribsoft. It is the third game in the Jagged Alliance series. A standalone sequel called Unfinished Business was released in 2001 and Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire was released in 2004. Jagged Alliance 2 Gold Pack (which includes both Jagged Alliance 2 and Unfinished Business) was released in 2002. Like its predecessor, Jagged Alliance 2 also received critical acclaim, though it has never been a commercial success. It has gained a cult status, many fans consider it one of the best tactical computer games ever. Plot The game takes place in Arulco, a nation that was ruled by a democratic monarchy which led the nation until 1988. Elections were held every ten years. Enrico Chivaldori, a candidate for election, was the son of the current ruler. He took a wife, Deidranna Reitman, who helped to boost Enrico's popularity which led Enrico to victory. But, Deidranna had a thirst for power and she soon murdered Enrico's father and framed him for the crime. Enrico managed to escape by faking his own death, but Deidranna converted Arulco into an authoritarian state. At the beginning the player must hire mercenaries to free Arulco from the dictator. Mercenaries start in Omerta where they meet the rebel leader and former election candidate Miguel Cordona, in the rebel hideout. Miguel Cordona and his other mercenaries will help if the player agrees to remove Deidranna's forces from the towns in Arulco. Gameplay The game puts the player in control of several mercenaries that must explore and reclaim towns and territories from enemy forces. As the game advances, the player can hire new mercenaries and acquire better weapons and armour to combat opponents. The game utilizes a map screen to show the map of Arulco and issue high-level orders to the troops. There is also a tactical screen, where the player takes control of individual mercenaries during real-time interactions and turn-based combat. Map screen The map screen displays the world map of Arulco in a square grid (called sectors) and the forces deployed by the enemy and the player. This is the strategic side of the game, as the player directs his forces, and controls the progress of time, which may be sped up or paused. From here, the player can also access the game's laptop function, allowing the player to receive emails from characters in the game, buy weapons and equipment, and hire and fire mercenaries. This screen is also used to give mercenaries tasks. Mercs with a medical kit and medical skill can be set to tend to wounded mercs; this significantly quickens their recovery. Mercs with a tool box and mechanical skill can be set to repair damaged weapons, tools and armour. Mercs can "practice" a skill by themselves or work as a "trainer" or "student". Training a student increases his or her chosen skill. A trainer may also train local citizens to become militia to defend sectors while the mercs are away. Mercs can be ordered to travel on foot between the sectors. If the player acquires a ground or Aircraft aerial vehicle in-game, he may load his troops into it to travel between sectors much faster. Tactical screen The tactical screen shows a sector from an isometric viewpoint. Here the player can view the terrain, explore buildings and find items. Although the game does not feature a visual "fog of war", the NPC characters can only be seen if a player-controlled or allied character sees them. The game time advances in real-time on the tactical screen unless a battle is initiated, then the game switches to a turn-based combat mode. The player can control an individual merc or group of mercs, issuing move, communication and various interaction commands. Mercs can run, walk, swim, crouch, crawl and climb onto the roofs of flat-roofed buildings. Battle Battles occur whenever the player's and enemy forces occupy the same sector. This can happen if enemy or player forces arrive at a hostile sector or the player's actions cause a previously friendly or neutral force to become hostile. The game proceeds in real-time until a member of one force spots an enemy. The game then switches to turn-based play.The battles are played on the tactical screen. Each force takes alternating turns to move, attack, and perform various other actions. Each character has a limited amount of action points, which are spent to perform actions. The action points are renewed at the beginning of each round, depending on the physical state of the merc. Some unspent action points will also be carried over to the next round. If a combatant has some action points left over during the enemy's turn and spots an enemy, they stand a chance of interrupting the enemy turn and performing actions. The game may be played using stealth elements. Mercs may move either in normal or stealth mode.In stealth mode, the merc attempts to move without making any noise. Moving stealthily costs more action points, but may successfully hide their position from enemies. The game also features weapons that do not cause loud noise and camouflage kits, which when used may disguise the merc in his environment. Merc attributes and some special skills affect how stealthy they are. When a merc attacks, he or she has a certain chance to hit the target depending on the appropriate skill, obstacles in the line of fire and the amount of action points spent aiming. Walls, doors, and many objects can be destroyed using explosives or heavy weapons. Some battles may be automatically resolved if the player chooses to do so but the outcome could be in favor of the AI enemies. See also: Weapons list of all the firearms in the game. Economy The player needs money to pay the mercenary hire fees and to purchase equipment. At the start of the game, the player is given a set amount of money. The main source of income in the game are silver and gold mines located in several towns. The player has to reclaim these town sectors and convince the local miners to work for the player to receive a daily income. Weaponry, equipment and miscellaneous items may also be sold to local merchants. Replayability Although the player is directed by rebels to head to Drassen first, the player may choose to capture the towns and explore the countryside in any order he or she desires. In fact, it is not required to capture any towns. Additionally, almost every sector may be entered via two or more entry points. The player may choose between a very large array of different mercs, allowing combinations for specific purposes - e.g. stealth combat, night-time combat, close-quarter combat and so on. The game features random chests, characters and certain events that differ from game to game. Characters Deidranna Reitman - A cruel dictator and the main antagonist of Jagged Alliance 2. She is the former wife of Enrico Chivaldori. Deidranna framed Enrico for the murder of his father. Then she became the ruler of Arulco. Enrico Chivaldori - At the beginning Enrico hires the commander (player) to liberate Arulco from the cruel dictator, Deidranna. Enrico sends e-mail messages to player as the game progresses (or not). Mercenaries See also: Jagged Alliance 2 mercenaries for a list of all mercenaries in the game. Jagged Alliance 2 introduces many new mercenaries and also includes fan favorites from the first game, like Ivan Dolvich. Mercs can be hired from A.I.M., M.E.R.C., or the player may also recruit some of the mercenaries who live in Arulco. I.M.P. For the first time in the series player has a chance of creating a mercenary. Versions After the release of the original Jagged Alliance 2, two sequels and various mods have been released. Unfinished Business Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business, alternatively known as Jagged Alliance 2.5 is a short, mission-based standalone sequel released by Sir-Tech in 2001. This release adds some tweaks to the combat engine, as well as a scenario editor,[43][44] yet the gameplay remain largely unchanged.[45] A new plot is introduced in Unfinished Business. The original owners of Arulco's lucrative mines have returned and established a missile base on the nearby island of Tracona, demanding the mines are returned to them. They destroy the Arulco's now empty Tixa prison to show an example for if their demands are not met. The player must put a team of mercenaries together to infiltrate Tracona and disable the missile base. Alternatively, the player may chose to use the characters from a previously saved Jagged Alliance 2: Gold savegame. Unfinished Business is notably harder than the original but a lot shorter and the linear plot lacks replayability value Gold Pack Jagged Alliance 2: Gold Pack was published by Strategy First on August 6, 2002 and adds the improvements of Unfinished Business to the final release of Jagged Alliance 2. The Unfinished Business and a scenario editor are also included in the package. Gold Pack introduces notable changes to the difficulty setting. The player choosing an advanced difficulty level may also decide to make the player turns timed and whether to disallow saving during combat, as opposed to the original Jagged Alliance 2, which set these settings automatically. Wildfire Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire was published by i-Deal Games in 2004 as an official standalone expansion pack by Strategy First. The game's sourcecode was also published in the package, albeit under license. Comparing to the original Jagged Alliance 2, Wildfire has not altered the game engine or controls. The focus was instead directed into designing revamped environments, new items and stronger enemies. This presents players with a more challenging campaign, however the goals and progression remain the same. In terms of the gameplay features, the game remains almost unchanged. A renewed commercial release of Wildfire, dubbed version 6, through European publisher Zuxxez Entertainment in the spring of 2005 saw the Jagged Alliance series staying on shop shelves more than five years after the debut of its second iteration. WF6 contains changed sourcecode, a tweaked graphics engine that allows for a higher resolution, introduces new mercenaries and increases squad size from 6 to 10. Modding Jagged Alliance 2 is the most popular game in the series, hence its strong fan community. Several popular mods have been released. One notable is the 1.13 modification that improves the original game in many ways. v1.13 This is an engine modification for Jagged Alliance 2, therefore the plot is the same. It was developed by some talented fans from the Bear's Pit JA 2 Community. It was released on April 28, 2008. Because of the improvements and additions, many Jagged Alliance 2 fans play this mod rather than the original. It adds many new features to the game, for instance some new mercs, improved artificial intelligence and even a multiplayer mode which is still in development but playable. The mod attempts to add more gameplay variety, adds a new inventory system relying on vests, backpacks and other tactical gear. On top of all that there are many more weapons, armor, weapon attachments and new ammunition. This mod is still receiving minor tweaks by the developers, addressing the multiplayer mode's faults, still working on the interfaces and add yet more items to the game. External links Official website